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Thoughts for a Woman's Heart |
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encouragement in things that matter |
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Contrast and Rejection
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A young high school student, who had attended church most of her life, heard the gospel message explained in such a way that it took on a personal dynamic. She had known about God and she had heard the New Testament stories about Jesus many times, but she had never realized that Christ’s death on the cross was something that brought about a very personal forgiveness for those who personally believed and accepted the redemptive work that was accomplished. Having heard the message in a new light, she responded to it the best she knew how. As a high schooler though and even as a college student, the message she had responded to brought a new conflict. She did not need to look very deeply into her own spirit and behaviors to see attitudes, thinking, and choices, that were inconsistent with the message she had responded to. Surrounded by Christ-centered teaching, she recognized the holiness and perfection of the God she now hopefully belonged to. In contrast, she saw her own unworthiness and a life stained with sin and hypocrisy. The God she hoped she belonged to, seemed very distant and silent. Sadly, she still saw forgiveness as somehow being very conditional, and she had certainly not met those conditions. In believing the lies that enlarged and deepened her conflict, she was assured that the God she wanted to fully belong to, preferred to hold her at a distance with His rejection.
The beautiful story of Ruth in Scripture presents a scene of potential rejection. Ruth, the young widowed Moabitess, victimized by poverty and circumstances, finds her heart drawn to Boaz, the eligible Jewish bachelor, well-established, successful, and wealthy. Her mother-in-law conceives a well-planned intrusion into Boaz’s harvest celebration. The actions initiated by Ruth during the dark and quiet of night were a sort of "girl ask guy," instead of vice versa. In essence, Ruth proposed marriage to Boaz. Ruth had some awareness of Boaz’s feelings and desires, but the risk of rejection was still there. Why? Other than the possibility that she had totally misread the heart and thinking of Boaz, there was also the reality that the two of them were distinct opposites in many ways! Why would Boaz want anything to do with a woman like Ruth? Ruth was very aware of the contrasts between them.
A woman from the pages of Scripture. A young high school student. One overcame her fears. The other, lived with her fears for many years. In overcoming fear, a relationship was gained. In holding onto fear, a relationship was technically, "in place," but it was never experienced. Isaiah had a vision of God, and saw a holiness that filled the earth with its glory. His response recoiled with the acute awareness of his own utter sinfulness, and yet God reached out to him with cleansing and forgiveness. Do we need an awareness of the stark contrasts between ourselves and a holy God? Yes, but like Ruth, that awareness needs to lay aside any fear of rejection, and allow God to give cleansing and forgiveness as He did for Isaiah. God is a God of incomparable holiness, and we are very, very different from Him, but He longs to cleanse us and wrap us in His holiness. There are no conditions for His forgiveness. He simply asks us to come, and He replaces our fear of rejection with the absolute love of relationship.
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— Bev |
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